


Questionable Safety

by MyckiMor



Category: Legion (2010)
Genre: M/M, Pre-Slash, Prompt Challenge, old story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-17
Updated: 2014-07-17
Packaged: 2018-02-09 05:36:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1970907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyckiMor/pseuds/MyckiMor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He still felt wrong, raising someone else’s child.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Questionable Safety

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this back in 2010, and I don't intend to make any edits. ^^. So, there is that. This was written for 64 Damn Prompts, over on LiveJournal.
> 
> Theme: #42 - Hope is the thing with feathers.

He still felt wrong, raising someone else’s child. Not unnatural – Heaven knew (whether literally) that he was bound and determined that he was going to be the boy’s father from square one. Changing the baby, feeding him, keeping him happy, healthy, and entertained… Jeep never even gave it so much as a negative thought. That was just how things were meant to be. It was Charlie’s abrupt departure from  _both_  their lives that had served to throw him off-track.  
  
Glancing down at little Benjamin (Charlie had at least found the grace to give their savior a proper address before leaving him high and dry), Jeep could not help but feel as though he was screwing up. Forgetting something. He was forever falling behind at the diner, in the garage. Whatever he touched, there was sure to be something to go wrong with it; burning the fries when Percy needed to step out for a smoke; finding extra parts after sending that nice couple and their three kids back on the road with their newly-repaired Honda. It was as good as an unwritten rule that he was making a mistake. A mistake with someone else’s kid. Ah. That was full-circle.  
  
Looking to the counter top of the small apartment kitchen, Jeep took stock of the nightly routine.

Bottle:  _check._

Burping:  _check._

Bath:  _check._

Everything was in order, just as always.  _Too paranoid,_  he chastised himself. If something major had gone haywire, chances were high that he would have bee made aware of it, by now. Heck, Benjamin was not even crying. In fact, he was so content that his gentle little eyes were beginning to droop. Jeep silently sympathized; while hardly  _content,_  a nap sounded just fine.  
  
Taking a light step across the cracked tile flooring, the young man gently swayed his charge back and forth. He watched the boy’s face, his hair, his tiny little hands. He was a perfect little child, a complete joy. Rarely fussed, always smiling. Some kids were a handful. He had heard his shares of whispers around the diner, passersby bickering with their own offspring over how they should shut up, sit in their seat, and stop playing with the ketchup. How much of that went to bad parenting, though, he still could not say. He just prayed not to turn into one of those fathers, the kind with children that refused to give him a hug because he was such a screw-up.  
  
Oh, there it was, again.  
  
 _Damn,_  how could Charlie have walked away? Did she not realize what she left behind? Benjamin needed his mother, like Jeep had said from the start. He was no prize in the department of playing both Mama  _and_ Papa, and, yet, the child’s only known biological tie to the world had abandoned him to the care of a shoddy auto mechanic. Sure, maybe Charlie had not wanted him to begin with, but… Honestly…  _How could she have walked away?_  
  
A frown found its way to the unready father’s expression. He knew that he was only serving to depress himself, thinking about that which he was powerless to change. It was best to just let it go, he knew. He had read somewhere that babies could sense emotions. At the time, he thought it ridiculous;  _dogs_  were subject to changes in mood, not  _babies._  Now, however, he was far from ready to take the chance, and wake Benjamin from his silent slumber.  
  
Angling his head, Jeep gently pressed his lips to his son’s loosely clenched fist. “It’s all right, little guy,” he murmured, gently. “It’s not gonna’ be so bad… I’m gonna’ do my best…”  
  
“He knows you will.”  
  
Jeep nearly leapt from his very skin, Benjamin held snugly against him. Spinning around on his heel, Jeep made to face the sudden intruder. His eyes widened, slightly.  
  
“Michael?” Jeep inquired, at some length, nearly gawking at the expressionless divination standing before the splintered coffee table. He dared not move any closer, his stance only serving to further morph to the defensive.  
  
Across the room, Michael nodded, once. “It’s all right, Jeep,” he replied, tone even, but soft. “You have no reason to be so jumpy.”  
  
 _Oh, what a crock,_  Jeep considered, but kept his mouth firmly shut on the matter. After all, for all  _he_  knew, Michael could have been a burglar, or a murderer. Worse over, he could have been an angel. Well, another one. And, the prospect of coming across Gabriel, again, was most unpleasant.  
  
However, as there seemed to be little to fear, Jeep visibly relaxed. Michael seemed to smile, a little. “That’s better.”  
  
Floundering for a moment over what to say, Jeep paced into the living space. He stopped in front of the busted-up laundry basket which was currently serving as a makeshift crib. It looked like shit, and he was more than aware of the fact. Likewise, he was downright embarrassed. Not just by the basket, but by the whole damned situation. No baby deserved to be raised in such a dump as the one that he had somehow managed to land them in. The walls were too thin to be referred to as such; rusted, ruined, and painted-over hinges kept the bedroom door from closing; only one of the windows opened. The water was undrinkable unless boiled down, which was about the only way to get it warm, anyhow. How they managed to still be alive was nothing short of a miracle. It was a wonder that the entire building had yet to cave in on their heads.  
  
With a silent prayer that their surroundings remain upright, overnight, Jeep lowered his son into the laundry basket. The child did not protest, simply turning his head to the side as he was snuggled in, nice and warm. The proud father grinned, happily, in complete wonder of the baby, before stepping away from him. His attentions were turned to their visitor.  
  
“Why’re you here?” Jeep regretted the words the second that he saw Michael’s own smile fade. Tally up another flub, he figured. “Aw, I didn’t mean it like that. Uh… I mean…”  
  
Michael swiftly raised his hand. “Not to worry, Jeep. I understand.”  
  
Jeep nodded. So long as they were on the same page, then. “So, uh… What’s goin’ on?” he ventured, again. “Haven’t seen you in a long while. Is everything all right?”  
  
Slowly, Michael advanced on him. “I should be asking you the same thing,” the older man replied, glancing down at the sleeping bundle of Benjamin. He turned his head back toward Jeep, an eyebrow raised in curiosity. “He seems very satisfied.”  
  
Unsure of how to best respond, Jeep shrugged. “He finished his bottle and dozed off… Guess he’s about as happy as a clam.”  
  
The words seemed to amuse Michael, greatly. “Ah, yes, but, just how happy  _is_  the average clam, would you suspect?”  
  
It was Jeep’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “Eh?”  
  
“Nevermind.” Michael shook his head, slightly, before taking a moment to allow himself access through the rest of the apartment. It was hardly a long journey; three steps in any direction, and he had seen it all. Rather pitiful, he had to admit, but at least it was something. And,  _some_ thing was better than  _no_ thing. In theory, anyway. “To answer your question, Jeep, I came to check in on you both.”  
  
Jeep took that as a slap to the face. Even in the simplest of moments, it seemed that he was still in need of being looked after. “Well, uh… Thanks… I guess… But, we’re all right…” Michael then shot him a look that told of just how untrue the angel found that to be. Jeep hung his head, deflated. “ _Yeah,_ ” he admitted, quietly. “Yeah, it’s a real  _mess,_  okay?”  
  
“I believe  _mess_  to be the gentlest terminology, certainly.”  
  
It was suddenly unavoidable, the bitter the laugh that escaped the young brunette. “Do you just get a kick outta’ comin’ down here and makin’ me feel like shit, or what?”  
  
Michael frowned in disapproval of Jeep’s chosen language. “It was not my intention. I was simply pointing out that-…” Michael trailed off into a moment of silence, during which time neither man so much as  _breathed_  loud enough to be heard. Aware, now, of just how badly he had upset the human, Michael made his way to stand in front of Jeep, once again. Raising his hand, he gently cupped the side of the young father’s face.  
  
Jeep shot a surprised look at Michael, but said nothing. He was unsure of just what to consider as odd behavior from the one before him, but he had a feeling that this ranked up there. Surprise quickly twisted into confusion, and Michael smiled, genuinely, this time.  
  
“I apologize,” he began, quietly. “I did not mean to upset you… You are doing wonderfully with the child. I only worry that these surroundings are not suitable.” He paused, before adding, “For either  _one_  of you.”  
  
It took a moment for the words to sink in. When they did, Jeep gave a worn smirk. “Oh, that’s really sweet. You’re sayin’ you’re worried about me, too, huh?”  
  
Michael gave an honest nod. “Yes, Jeep. I am.”  
  
Another pause. Then, Jeep chuckled, quietly, shaking his head. He was too tired for this conversation, and he knew it.  
  
Apparently, Michael knew it, too. The hand that had previously rested against his face was all at once against the backs of Jeep’s legs. Before a word could be said, the younger was slung over Michael’s shoulder.  
  
“You need to rest,” Michael informed him, carting the man off to the bedroom with great ease.  
  
Jeep protested. “Hey, the baby…”  
  
“ _I’ll_  take care of the baby, Jeep. You get some sleep.” As Jeep once again opened his mouth, Michael cut him off. “You are no good to the child if you can not stay awake. He will be just fine, as will you. I will not allow harm to come to either of you.”  
  
Unable to argue with the logic – as well as slightly and inexplicably baffled by the angel’s promise – Jeep allowed himself to be tucked into the bed.  
  
“A’right…” he mumbled, eyes heavy. “Don’t be takin’ off with my son, either, You…”  
  
Michael’s smile returned, tenfold. “Do not worry,” he reassured Jeep, lightly brushing dark strands of hair away from the man’s forehead. “We will be waiting for you when you awaken.”  
  
Jeep drifted off feeling oddly secure. Maybe, if Michael was still willing to look out for him, things would not be so bad, after all.


End file.
